State Library of South Australia

Armless artist William Smith [PRG 280/1/7/66] • Photograph

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Summary

William Smith, a young artist with no arms standing with some of his work.

Restrictions

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Physical description

photograph; 12 x 18.5 cm

Dates / Publication details

Approximately 1918

Collection

Part of Searcy Collection

Subject

Smith, William Joseph George, 1887-1927
Artists

Catalogue record

Return to catalogue

Historical information

William Smith (Smyth) was born on 7 June 1887 at Hackney. The second child of Samuel Smyth and Ellen Sophia nee Warhaust (Warhurst). Samuel, age 23, and Ellen, age 18, married at St Paul's Church, Port Adelaide, on 18 February 1885. Their first child Rose Emilie (Amelia) was born on 11 March 1886 and died at Hackney on 19 January 1887. Ellen Sophia died at Adelaide on 5 August 1887 and William "a neglected baby, was ordered to be kept in the Industrial School until he was 16 years of age." Source: South Australian Register 1 October 1887 page 7. "A boy, William Joseph George Smith, aged nine years, who some weeks ago, whilst boarded out, fell from a tree at school and broke both arms, which were subsequently both amputated near the shoulders ..." Source The Express and Telegraph 11 March 1897 page 4. In 1904 The Advertiser newspaper raised funds for William's assistance and training under J. Ashton. He became well known as the "armless artist" and he travelled extensively in Australia moving to Sydney where he died in 1927.

Digitisation information

Date

25/09/2002

Format

image/tiff

Resolution

3,420 x 2,112 pixels (7.2 MP)

Size

7.23 MB

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